But none draws a more startled and curious reaction from onlookers and fellow drivers than the velomobile captained by Joshua Brann.
When Brann, 29, whizzes by in his low-slung, bright-yellow vehicle, jaws drop and necks crane to catch a lingering look.
“Riding a velomobile around town seems to put a smile on everybody’s face,” said Brann, a GIS analyst for the Thurston County Strategic Planning Department.
A velomobile is a recumbent tricycle encased in an aerodynamic, fiberglass shell and equipped with a lighting system, including a headlight, a tail light, turn signals and a brake light.
Perhaps the most significant feature of Brann’s pedal-powered vehicle built by bluevelo, an Ontario-based company, is a battery pack with electronics that, when switched on, can boost the pedaling power by 25 percent to 300 percent. And the battery pack can be recharged when the driver brakes or goes down hills, Brann said.
He’s still adjusting to the vehicle and can travel with little effort on flat surfaces at 20 to 25 miles per hour. He expects to boost his speed to the 30-35 mph range where the speed limit allows as he grows more accustomed to the recumbent pedaling position.
Brann isn’t aware of any other velomobiles operating in South Sound. Brann, a longtime bicycle commuter, said he was looking for an alternative to riding his bike through the rain and cold that commuters confront around here about half of the year.
“Riding in the slush and rain gets old,” he said. “With the velomobile, I can stay dry and warm.”
The compartment also is large enough to easily haul a couple of bags of groceries.
“It’s kind of halfway between a bike and a car,” he said. “But it’s classified as a bicycle by the state, and I pretty much ride it the way I ride my bike, including wearing a helmet.”
“That’s a rule I made,” said Brann’s partner, Breanna Trygg.
Brann looked at a variety of alternative commute vehicles before taking the plunge this year and ordering the velomobile, which was shipped to him about a month ago.
Worldwide, about six companies make them. They are custom-built and pricey; his bluevelo model retails at about $6,500.
However, he said, the vehicle is nearly maintenance-free and doesn’t require gasoline and oil to operate.
“I was looking for an environmentally friendly vehicle and settled on the velomobile,” Brann said.
Designed in Europe prior to World War I, the velomobile has seen an ebb and flow of popularity and use over the decades amid design and operation flaws, including ineffective brakes and gears and pedals that were difficult to use.
Some of the latest innovations, including the battery-operated electric propulsion system, along with the growing interest in green energy to combat global warming and air pollution, could create more of a market niche for velomobiles, Brann suggested.
John Dodge: 360-754-5444
